The 17th Empire Day
by LPK9
Summary: On the 17th anniversary of his wife's death and the birth of the Empire, Darth Vader returns to Imperial Center in the darkest of moods. Then he encounters a queen and a farmboy. Very AU. Now being expanded into a 4 chapter mini-fic.
1. Chapter 1

**_Author Note: This was originally a one shot but I'm going to expand it to a four chapter mini-fic._**

 ** _The Star Destroyer Devastator_**

In his hyperbaric chamber, Darth Vader felt the hyperdrive engines go silent as his capital ship dropped out of hyperspace.

He groaned softly and, using the Force, guided his fearsome and necessary black helmet over his head.

It settled with a click, and he heard the steady rhythmic whoosh of his respirator begin, forcing air into his lungs, forcing air into his lungs, forcing air into his lungs.

He opened the chamber, rose carefully to his feet and moved into his main quarters. Outside the transparisteel window was Imperial Center, full of its teeming billions.

Darth Vader was fairly certain that the most wretched, dissolute, ill, poverty stricken beggar on Imperial Center was, at this point, a happier individual than he was.

How he hated this day. Hated it hated it hated it. Loathed it. Despised it. Wished that he could time warp through this day, and every anniversary of this day until his life finally, mercifully ended.

He feared it.

He, Darth Vader, destroyer of worlds, the second most powerful man in the galaxy, was terrified of this day.

Because this day, more than all the other days, he couldn't forget about her.

About Padme, his wife.

On this day, 17 years ago, he had…

But no, he would not think about it. He would not. He had tortured himself and berated himself and hated himself for 17 years now. He had wept dry tears from ducts destroyed in the fires of Mustafar.

There was no point in thinking about it.

But no, it was happening again. Again, her lovely face swam in his vision, lit golden in the flames of Mustafar, her hands at her throat, her mouth moving in desperate fear.

How he had loved her. How she had loved him. He knew, he knew, that until that terrible, final moment, she had never feared him.

To think that the last thing she saw…

But no, he would _not_ think about it.

With a vicious stab of his finger, Vader physically pushed the button which opened his door. He stormed out of his chambers, heading for the main landing bay. He noted, peripherally, the Stormtroopers stiffening to attention, and sensed the officers near him deliberately finding sudden reasons to vacate the corridors where he was walking.

That was all for the better. He hated humanity this day, and every alien race as well. His temper was never completely dormant, and today of all days…

His TIE Advanced was waiting for him.

With quick and fluid moves, he opened the cockpit and slid in. Ordinarily, he would be flown to Imperial City in a shuttle, but today he would allow himself the minor pleasure of flying his own craft onto the roof of the Senate Building.

The Sith Lord's hands moved automatically as he lifted off the _Devastator_ into space. As usual, the expanse around Imperial Center was a maelstrom of shipping, of every description and purpose. His high level codes, however, provided an open channel into Imperial City. He was slightly annoyed by the honor guard of TIE's flying behind him, but he knew that Imperial Navy protocol required it.

Vader smoothly landed the TIE on a prime spot on the roof, and leaped rapidly to the ground. A few Imperial officers lined up by his ship and stood at attention but he ignored them, moving quickly to an elevator and descending to the15th floor, where his work offices were.

The Senate Building was teeming with life as well. For all that Palpatine had worked hard, and succeeded, in reducing the power of the Senate to nearly nothing, there were still crowds of people everywhere – politicians, diplomats, aides, guards.

Again, he ignored everyone, and the crowds parted to allow him passage.

Outside his quarters were two sentries, who saluted but did not speak.

Inside, finally, he was alone. And it was quiet, save for the wretched sound of his respirator.

He wanted to be alone, but he feared it as well. Because of her, because of the memories…

Hastily, he strode to his workstation and opened a message from His Master, Emperor Palpatine.

His eyes widened slightly. There was enough work assigned to him that it would be nearly impossible for him to finish it all before the Emperor returned in 8 days. But that was not unexpected.

For he was in disgrace, and this work, most of it dull and mind numbing, was just the first part of his punishment.

In spite of himself, the Sith Lord shuddered. It was quite likely that he would be disciplined with Force Lightening when Sidious returned, and that, too, was one of the few things that Darth Vader feared.

He sighed softly. He should be in Naboo right now, 'celebrating' Empire Day at the side of his master. Palpatine traveled to his planet of origin every few years and this year had gone during the week long celebration in memory of the Sith Master's ascension to Emperor 17 years ago.

17 years ago today, when Padme…

No.

And Vader couldn't do it. He had traveled with his Master to Naboo more than a week ago, intending to close off every memory of her at Varykino, every memory of their marriage ceremony on a glorious evening, with the sun's rays shining off the pure blue of the waters off Varykino's precious shores.

But he could not control his own mind and his own memories. Every day on Naboo had proven harder, and the Force had trembled and roiled around him, and he had killed 14 men in a rage, and finally his Master had ordered him back to Imperial Center.

With cold, and dark, warnings of punishment.

Vader closed his eyes, then opened them. Work was a distraction, and he couldn't sleep today of all days anyway, so…

He opened the first document and perused it, considering ore mining in the Outer Rim and Hutt attacks on transports.

And then he felt it.

A tremor in the Force. A tremor of power. Nearby.

Darth Vader frowned and turned his head slightly. What was that? _Who_ was that?

He reached out his Force sense, seeking. Yes, there was someone, apparently in the Senate building. There was no hint of training and no response to his own Force touch but someone strong in the Force was here!

Vader shook his head irritably. It could be one of the new Hands, minor Force sensitives trained by Sidious himself.

It didn't feel like one of them though. There was a certain tainted sense to those whom the Emperor trained personally. And this individual seemed especially strong for a Hand.

He should investigate. He needed to investigate. If there was a significant, previously unknown, Force sensitive here in the Senate, he needed to find out about it and deal with him or her, probably in a permanent fashion.

With an irritable sigh, Vader rose to his feet and strode out of his door, down a corridor, and into an elevator, which was hastily emptied by its passengers when they realized Lord Vader wanted it.

His hand hovered on the control panel and he stretched out, waited, sensed, until he pressed the button for Level 7.

Senatorial offices. Interesting.

Again, he allowed his Force sense to guide him, and it led him unerringly to the Senate office of Leia Organa of Alderaan. Outside the door stood two armed guards, dressed in the livery of Alderaan.

"Open the door," Vader ordered.

The first guard blinked in astonishment, then said cautiously, "My Lord, Queen Leia is unavailable for an audience at this…"

Vader reached out his hand and the man started to choke. The other apparently hit an alarm as the door opened 20 seconds later to reveal the Queen of Alderaan, Leia Organa.

"Lord Vader, would you kindly release my guard," she demanded imperiously.

Vader turned to her and let go of his Force grip, "Certainly, your Highness. I merely wished to see you and your guard was proving a hindrance."

He looked at her curiously. She was not the Force presence he was sensing, though there was something about her…

Truthfully, there had always been something about Princess Leia, now Queen Leia, of Alderaan. She was strong, smart, feisty and bold, much like another young Senator. She even looked quite a bit like Pad…

No, he would not think of her.

"Won't you come in?" the Queen inquired in a slightly sarcastic tone, even as she swept away from the door and into the medium sized reception room which had been set aside for her during her days as a Senator. Two doors led into inner rooms, and he sensed the strong Force presence a short distance away.

Two men were carefully packing up everything in the office and placing the items in transparisteel boxes, which were then being laid on hoverboards for easy transport.

"You are leaving?" Vader inquired carefully.

Part of him wanted to tear through the door and find the individual generating that remarkable Force signal, but with Leia Organa, it would be wise to move cautiously.

Quickly, Vader pulled the relevant information from his memory. About 2 months ago, Bail and Breha Organa and their daughter Leia had been on a mercy mission to Shili after a Geonosian flu outbreak, brought by immigrants, had caused great devastation among the Togruta inhabitants. Their ship had experienced a malfunction, dropped out of hyperspace, and crash landed on one of the outer planets of the Kiros system. While the ship had maintained structural integrity, the planet was so highly radioactive that all the ship's members had been seriously affected. By the time they were rescued by Togrutas from the main planet of Kiros, the damage had been done.

The Organas and their accompanying retinue had fallen ill and, after several weeks of deterioration, all but one had died. Leia Organa had survived, to the surprise of many, though the marks of her ordeal were upon her face and body.

Her glorious hair had fallen out, and she wore a scarf over her head. Her face was pale and thin. And while her spirit clearly remained strong, her voice was weak.

Vader knew what most did not, that the 'accident' was no accident. Palpatine was concerned about the Organas, and Alderaan – he knew that Bail in particular was drifting towards rebellion against the Empire. Palpatine also believed that the Organas were too popular and well connected, and that moving openly against them would cause more turmoil than necessary.

Thus the sabotage, and the 'accident' which was meant to result in a fatal crash. The successful landing of the ship on the radioactive planet had been a surprise, mitigated by the poisoning from radioactivity which resulted in the death of the Queen and her consort.

Leia Organa had, a few weeks ago, been crowned Queen.

"I am queen of Alderaan now, Lord Vader," Organa said, breaking into his thoughts, "And as such I have a responsibility to live on Alderaan for the needs of my subjects."

She nodded at the two men, who had finished loading everything on the hovercarts and now left the room, leaving her alone with the Dark Lord of the Sith.

Darth Vader nodded at her words, and turned toward the door of interest just as it slid open. A young man strode in and Vader took a breath out of sync with his respirator.

Yes! This young man was the source of the remarkable Force signal! A young man, probably in his late teens, with bleached blond hair, blue eyes, and heavily tanned skin. Not tall, thin, quite unremarkable to look at. But… this close Vader could feel the youth in the Force like a supernova. Who was this young man? And how had he been missed for so many years?

The young man lifted his chin and looked straight into Vader's eyes, which in itself was remarkable. It wasn't like anyone could _see_ his eyes through the mask.

The young man wasn't afraid either. Nor was he hostile. He was, obviously, curious, but there was no hint of terror.

After a long, measuring moment, he looked at the Queen, "Everything is all set in there, Leia. Are you about ready to go?"

Leia? That was not the normal address of an Alderaanian to his liege. And the accent was Outer Rim. A boyfriend, perhaps?

"Thanks, Luke. Yes, I think we're ready to go. Should I signal for the ship?"

"I've already done it. It'll take about 30 minutes to load everything on and do preflight checks, and then we'll go. In the meantime, you should sit down. You look exhausted. Once we're on board, I'll fly us out of here and you should just go to bed."

There was a hesitant pause, and then Queen Leia looked at Lord Vader, "Is there anything else, Lord Vader?"

Vader looked at the boy, "You are the Queen's pilot, then?"

The young man responded carefully, "Well, yes, I'm her pilot but I'm also…"

He looked at the Queen, who finished, "my brother."

Vader froze in disbelief. What?

His first instinct was anger, that they would lie to him so openly. But then he realized that the Force was singing the truth. If this… Luke… was Leia Organa's brother…

"I wasn't aware, your Highness, that you had a brother," he said after a moment.

The two young people exchanged looks, and then the boy, Luke, said quietly, "We didn't know either, sir. Leia and I were both adopted as infants by different families and didn't know until… until 6 weeks ago that we are twins."

Twins!

Vader turned back to the Queen, "That seems quite extraordinary, your Highness."

The Queen lowered herself onto a chair. She did look pale.

"I agree, Lord Vader," she said wearily, "We don't know why… why we were separated, why Luke was sent to live in comparative poverty in the Outer Rim, when I grew up in luxury…"

"Leia, I already told you. Your father Bail took one look at me and thought, 'This boy doesn't have a diplomatic bone in his body. I'm taking the girl.'"

This was said with a warm smile, and Vader sensed a massive Force surge between the two young people. He focused, with a sense of disbelief, on the woman. He had never noticed any Force sensitivity in the young Organa, but now, as he probed her delicately, he realized she had remarkable shields. There was no definite rule that said siblings would both be Force sensitives, but based on the fluctuations of the Force around the twins, it was likely they both were.

He shook his head slightly, "How did you meet, then?"

Organa shot him a narrowed look. Vader was well known for his indifference to the lives of others, so this interrogation was no doubt puzzling to her. But the young man, Luke , responded politely, "When Leia's father lay dying, he was able to tell her that she had a twin and where I was living. They were able to contact me and I rushed to Alderaan. The hope, which was realized, was that I could donate some genetic material to help her survive the radioactive damage. Leia's youth meant that she could recover more readily than her parents."

He looked at the woman and suddenly dropped down next to her, putting an obviously loving arm around her narrow waist, "I'm so sorry, Leia."

Organa was clearly debilitated by her illness, or she would never have broken down in front of the Dark Lord of the Sith, whom he knew she despised. But the loss of family, of health, the sudden changes of circumstances, had clearly worn her out. For a long minute, Organa tucked her head into her brother's chest, her shoulders shaking slightly, while the youth hugged her tightly.

This gave Vader time to think. The boy was a powerhouse in the Force, far stronger than the average Force user.

He could, potentially, be the apprentice Vader had long been looking for, a servant whom he could train in secret to overthrow the Emperor.

But, and this was a serious issue, there was the problem of Organa. Twins were… complicated. There had been very few known pairs of Force sensitive twins in the Order, but the bond was extremely strong. It was unlikely that the boy could be successfully turned, and trained, in secret if his sister was alive. His attachment to her, his love for her, would pull his loyalty away from Vader and the Dark Side.

The Queen sat up suddenly and quickly wiped her face off her with her sleeve. She stood up, and her brother with her.

"I really must apologize for that display, Lord Vader," she said shakily, "I'm afraid I'm still physically debilitated. I hope you'll excuse us now as the sooner I get to my ship, the better."

Vader hesitated. He could just arrest them both, but Palpatine would be enraged. The Princess's beauty, her youth, her passionate speeches, and her status as regal orphan made her a very sympathetic figure in the Holopress. To suddenly move against her would be most unwise.

And his Master was already angry with him.

"Certainly, your Highness," Vader improvised, "I am sure your brother will get you back to Alderaan safely and will be a great source of comfort to you in the coming months."

"Actually," the boy responded calmly, "I'm heading back home after I drop Leia off on Alderaan. The Lars need my help with the harvest."

"I really wish you'd stay on Alderaan, Luke, you know I …"

"Leia."

Again, the loving smile.

"It's bad enough the Alderaanian press found out you've got an Outer Rim farmboy for a brother. I'm not much of a politician, but even I know that while the political situation settles, you don't need me hanging out flying your boring little shuttles around. And my aunt and uncle need my help. I'll come and visit when I can, in a few months."

Good. The boy would be traveling back home and he would ensure that some… accident would befall him.

Again, Darth Vader stared at the boy, and considered. He would try to take him secretly, alive, but if that proved impossible he would destroy the boy en route to wherever his home was.

Whatever else happened, he would make sure Palpatine never found this young man. As for the Princess, it was best that either she or her brother die soon. Together, they might prove difficult to control. But if she was a Force sensitive, she might be a more appropriate servant given that her shielding was so remarkably strong.

That decided, Vader bowed slightly to the Queen, turned to her brother, and said, "I trust, young Lars, that your trip home will be uneventful."

He knew, from long experience, that the vocoder would not transmit the ironic inflection of this statement, as he had no intention of it being an uneventful journey.

"Thank you, sir," the boy responded, "And it's Skywalker."

Darth Vader had already taken a step toward the door when that name stopped him like a pole-axed shaak.

He swung around, " _What_ did you say?"

The boy's eyebrows raised just slightly, "My name is Luke Skywalker, my Lord. Leia of course carries the last name of the royal house of Alderaan, but I'm named after my father."

Darth Vader, Lord of the Sith, formerly Anakin Skywalker, stared in shocked incredulity at the young man before him.

Blond hair.

Blue eyes.

Blazing Force sensitivity…

And then he looked at the twin.

Dark hair.

Dark eyes.

Political ability and power and courage and….

He felt suddenly weak. It could not be. It could not.

"What," he managed to force out, "was your father's name?"

"Anakin Skywalker," the youth responded calmly. Vader sensed rising concern in the girl, however. She knew, as her brother clearly did not, that Vader's interest was unusual.

The room spun. She had died at his hand. He had killed her, and the child. He had…

"When were you born?" he demanded suddenly, harshly.

Skywalker looked concerned now, and glanced at his sister. There was a hesitant pause and then the Queen stated, "Actually, our Life Day is today, Lord Vader. We are 17 years old today."

Vader staggered back.

Sidious had said, that in his anger… he had killed her. All these long years, he had thought, he had _known_ , that he had destroyed his angel, and the child…

The room trembled and shook. Cracks appeared in the transparisteel window which overlooked the main square of Imperial City.

He had twins. He and Padme had twins. And he had not killed his Angel. She had lived at least long enough to give birth to… his twins.

"Lord Vader!"

The girl's voice broke him out of his internal turmoil. He looked up. She was even paler, but her voice was calm.

"If you are going to kill us, which seems likely, just do so. There is no reason to take down the building in the process."

He stilled himself, aghast.

"Forgive me," he said humbly, noting the surprised look on both young faces at this response.

How close he had come, _how close_ , to killing his own son casually. How indifferent he had been to the sabotage of the Organas' ship which had very nearly killed his daughter, which _had_ killed her adopted parents.

Darth Vader drew himself up to his full height. 17 years ago, he had promised Padme that he would save her through his power in the Dark Side.

Today, faced with his children, _her_ children, he promised he would save them with his own life, if necessary. No more devotion to Sidious. He would die for these two young ones in front of him.

He spoke again, and the vocoder did record the emotion in his voice this time, "Forgive me for alarming you. I am overwhelmed with shock and yes, joy. My dear children, I was once Anakin Skywalker. I am your father."


	2. Luke

_Author Note: I decided to expand this into a four chapter mini-fic. I know this is a short chapter but that's how it rolled :-)._

17 year old Luke Skywalker stared in disbelief at the armored giant standing before him.

"…My dear children, I was once Anakin Skywalker. I am your father."

He heard a gasp beside him from his sister, an indrawn breath of shock and dismay.

He found himself unable to turn away from the gaze of the man who stood in front of him, a man of great power, of remarkable and even mystical abilities.

Darth Vader, Lord of the Sith.

Even on Tatooine, Luke had heard of Darth Vader. Fixer, one of the older boys, had tormented a much younger Luke with stories of how the Dark Lord, like the Greater Krayt Dragon of Beggar's Canyon, would creep into the homes of small boys and eat their hearts out. By the time Luke was a jaded teen, he had given up on such childish beliefs.

Now, staring at the ebony colossus, breathlessly aware of how the man had just shaken the entire building to its core and had prompted the transparisteel windows to quiver and splinter, Luke was struck with the certainty that if anything, Fixer had understated the man's power.

With a violent effort, he pulled his attention away from the mesmerizing gaze of the Dark Lord, and glanced with trepidation at the woman at his side.

Sweet and precious Leia. His newly discovered twin sister. Daughter of Alderaan. Queen of a world blanketed in sorrow at the tragic and sudden loss of their former queen and viceroy. Brave, intelligent, gifted.

Broken, after the loss of her family, her health, even her hair. (Her long, lustrous hair was symbolic of her status as the Heir, and Luke had sensed her pain when it had fallen away from her scalp, destroyed by the radiation that had nearly taken her life.)

A surge of anger filled his heart. This lie from the Dark Lord could not have anything to do with him, Luke Skywalker of Tatooine. He was nothing, an uncouth, uneducated farmboy from a 5th rate farm on an 8th rate planet. But Leia… Leia was a queen and a major galactic player. He couldn't imagine why the Emperor's second in command would voice such a lie, but…

"I am not fabricating this for political reasons, young one," the bass voice rumbled softly.

Luke's eyes widened in shock. Was it true, as sometimes claimed in whispers, that the Dark Lord could indeed read minds?

And deep in Luke's heart and mind, where the Light inside danced and shone, he sensed (as he sometimes did) that the Man spoke what he believed to be truth.

(He had always Known things that he should not. The approach of a distant sandstorm. The tiny broken wire in a faulty circuit. The battle cries of approaching Tuskens long before they could be heard by human ears. He had Known, and knew that his relatives feared his Knowing.)

He realized his hands were trembling.

He shook his head, not negatively but incredulously. It obviously could not be true.

"My Lord," he said, in a voice which sounded strange in his own ears, "I'm afraid that is impossible. Our father… our father was a navigator on a freighter who died before we were born. My uncle at least told me that…"

(He heard the tinge of bitterness in his voice. His uncle had told him little enough of the mysterious man who had sired him.)

The black helmet tilted, as if considering, and the deep voice spoke, "Your uncle? You spoke of the Lars? Is your uncle Owen Lars?"

Luke shuddered in disbelief, even as he took an involuntary step back.

"Yes… Are you acquainted with my uncle?"

"He is my stepbrother and therefore your step-uncle. I met him but once, on a moisture farm outside Tosche Station."

Luke's voice failed entirely. Mutely, he shook his head. His whole life he had been told his father was dead. It could not be. It could not!

"My son," the Dark Lord rumbled softly, "Have you spent your entire life thus far on Tatooine?"

He could not form words but again the Man seemed to Know.

"I see you have."

There was bitterness, and melancholy, and even grief bleeding through the vocoder, though Luke could not discern the underlying cause for so much unhappiness. He disliked Tatooine but he did not loathe it.

(Though now that he had seen other worlds, he knew it would be harder to go back, to stay where the hot suns beat relentlessly down, where children and slaves suffered and died for lack of water. His first view of Alderaan, during the frantic race to save his sister's life, had provoked an awe that would have humiliated him if the rush of so much blue, so much _water_ , had not filled every corpuscle of his body with mad delight. How incredible to live in a world where water was plentiful.)

"My mother died on Tatooine, and I buried her on the northwest corner of the Lars' farm," the deep Voice continued.

This, finally, convinced Luke. There _was_ a grave in the northwest corner, with no name, but a grave tended faithfully and lovingly by his aunt and uncle and himself. A grave where the bones of his grandmother lay.

Indeed, this Man was his father.

"I don't, I don't understand," Luke found himself stammering, "Why… how?"

The Dark Lord stepped forward carefully, as if afraid of frightening him, "My son, I was told that your mother died with my child unborn. By someone… I trusted. I thought you dead. I neither knew that my Beloved carried twins, nor that you survived. My children… my dear children, this is the most wonderful day of my life."

"I am not your daughter, Lord Vader. I am the daughter of a dead man," Leia Organa stated, her eyes flashing with weary fire.


	3. Leia

Queen Leia knew she was at the end of her strength, nearly at the end of her will. She had been exhausted and weary, both physically and emotionally, when her shuttle slipped quietly onto the roof of the Senate Building to allow her to bid a subdued farewell to her most respected Senate colleagues.

And now this.

Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, her biological father? Nonsense.

This murderous behemoth, claiming paternity of her precious Luke? (And her, but that was far less of a problem. She knew who she was.)

But Luke… she knew relatively little of her twin, but was aware that above all else he longed for a devoted father instead of a kind but remote uncle. Whereas she – she had been blessed with the best parents the galaxy had ever known in Breha and Bail Organa. Until their ship crashed, the radiation bombarded, hours turned into days of struggle and illness and pain, until Death finally, mercifully, released them into the next world.

Leaving her all alone except for her newly discovered, most beloved twin.

She shook her head to clear it, frightened more than she had ever been. What was Vader's plan?

Destruction and death had always traveled with the Dark Lord of the Sith, clinging to his cloak, sending tendrils of fear and horror seething toward those whom he encountered.

But Leia Organa was strong. She had always faced Vader with a courage beyond her years.

Now, with her own fortitude slipping, her head throbbing from exhaustion, she was truly fearful. She no longer feared death (her parents were gone, all gone, leaving her alone) but she feared for her brother.

"My father is dead," she repeated softly but clearly.

The Sith Lord turned to her slowly, his usual aura of menace entirely missing.

"Queen Leia," he began, and then stuttered, "How much you resemble your mother."

She blinked, and was aware of a throb of reluctant curiosity.

(Her mother. She did remember a beautiful woman, with tears in her eyes, the cries of two infants… was that real, or just a dream?)

"My mother?" she asked, though her voice sounded muffled, as if she was hearing her own voice from a distance.

"Leia," her brother was at her side, his arm around her, "Leia, sit down."

She felt herself lowered onto a soft chair, a drink pressed in her hands. She sipped it automatically.

"My mother?" she asked again, dazed.

The giant looked at her gravely and suddenly, oddly, she felt a current of energy lift her body in a strange, foreign, but somehow comforting way.

"Your mother," Darth Vader repeated, "Padme Amidala Naberrie of Naboo.

Leia stared at him in disbelief.

"The Senator from Naboo?" she nearly whispered.

"And the Queen of Naboo before that," the deep voice murmured in a hushed tone.

There was much in that tone. Love. Passion. Longing. Sorrow. Agonized grief.

"We were married on Naboo at the very beginning of the Clone Wars, married in secret as our marriage was a forbidden one. She was… she was my Angel and the light of my life. I traded my honor and pledged my power to Palpatine in a vain attempt to save her from death. I…" again, the Voice stuttered.

Leia shook her head, her voice wavering initially, then steadying, "It cannot be true, Lord Vader. You… you have tortured hundreds, enslaved thousands, murdered tens of thousands, propped up a brutal and despotic regime. You cannot be the husband of Padme Amidala, or the father of … of…"

"Leia."

It was her brother again, a note of fear in his voice.

She smiled slightly, manically. She was mad to say such things to Darth Vader, but she could not bring herself to care. She was too sick, and too weary, and too angry, and too broken to care.

"Leia…" her brother put his arms around her, "Please don't."

She looked at him, suddenly stricken with guilt. Luke was left, and Luke loved her. It was wrong… wrong for her to risk her own life and his with these wild words against a man whose flaming temper was legendary.

With every iota of her will, she pulled herself back from the abyss.

"Forgive me," she began, "I spoke of things I should not."

"No," the deep voice responded with its own waver, "I must beg _your_ forgiveness, Your Highness. You owe me nothing at all; I deserve nothing from you. And from your perspective, I have indeed committed great crimes against humanity and indeed all races since the day you were born. The day your mother died."

She looked at him, stared at him, gazed at the dark helmet which hid… something. (There had been much speculation about what lay behind that secretive and frightening mask.)

She stood up slowly, stepped forward, found herself tilting her chin up to gaze the Dark Lord directly in the face.

"Lord Vader."

Her voice was once again cultured, courteous, diplomatic, yet underneath it was a core of durasteel "Lord Vader, if there is any truth to your claim, I beg you to answer one question. The shuttle crash which cost me my parents. Was it truly an accident?"

A minute ticked by. And another. Leia waited, motionless, surprised at her own physical strength.

Behind her, Luke maintained as complete a stillness as the titan who stood before them both.

"No," the Sith Lord finally said, his voice heavy, "No, it was no accident."

Leia heard the gasp of shock from her brother, even as she nodded. She was horrified, but not surprised. At some level, she had known.

But there was another question.

"Did you arrange for the sabotage of our ship?" she demanded numbly.

Vader's response was much faster, "No, I did not. I knew nothing of the operation by Palpatine's agents until after the crash itself."

Again, she nodded. It didn't really matter compared to this man's other crimes, but then again, it did.

She felt a frown slowly gather across her brow. Was there any chance this was true? Could Darth Vader, Lord of the Sith, her _enemy_ , truly be her mysterious biological father?

It seemed impossible, but why _, why_ would Vader be claiming such a thing if it were not true? He was not a devious politician, but a warrior. Perhaps Palpatine had told him to make this claim to destroy her political clout? But surely the Emperor would choose a more likely individual? She hadn't even been sure that Vader was human, certainly never imagined him having children. So did the fact that it was impossible mean it was probably true?

Her brain felt foggy. She wasn't able to think clearly at a moment when her life, and her twin's life, hinged on being able to think clearly.

"What are you going to do with us?" her brother asked suddenly.

She started slightly. Luke was here, and Luke was taking over again.

(He had slipped onto Alderaan with humility, an Outer Rim farmboy introduced precipitously into an ancient Core World court, and proceeded to save her life. She remembered through her feverish nights and days his strong, soothing presence. She half recalled arguments from her palace staff, urging him to leave her for a few hours, to rest – their jealous assurance that they would care for her while he went away. And he had refused, with steel in those ocean blue eyes. And he had saved her life by staying. She had felt his strength flow into her weary body on nights when her life hung by a thread. There was much hidden strength in Luke Skywalker.)

She realized she had missed part of the conversation.

"…been shielding you?" the Dark Lord was asking, with curiosity breaking through the flatness of the vocoder.

She turned to look at Luke, who was clearly bewildered, "Shielding me? From who? From what?"

The Dark Lord seemed to sigh, "In the Force."

"The Force?" again her brother was obviously confused. Leia was not surprised at his lack of knowledge. She only knew the minimum, enough to know that Vader was a strong Force user. Enough to know that many had been slaughtered under the current regime for their ability to tap into that esoteric energy field.

Vader thought Luke was a Force sensitive? Was that why…?

The Dark Lord huffed, apparently not in anger but exasperation, "Yes, my son. You are a strong Force sensitive. Do you imagine I came in here by chance? I sensed your presence in the Force from my quarters many floors above, and came searching. I find it hard to believe that even on remote Tatooine, you would entirely escape my notice, and Palpatine's notice, if someone wasn't shielding you."

Luke shook his head, "I have never even heard of the Force. I don't know anything about this shielding you speak of. And if I am, as you say, strong in this Force, what about Leia?"

The mask swung briefly in her direction, then back to her brother, as if the owner of that mask did not wish to distress her by too much intense scrutiny.

"Your sister is a Force sensitive as well, though I cannot tell how strong she is. Unlike you, she shields well. Either she was trained as a child to do so, or she has a natural affinity to hide herself in the Force."

Luke shook his head, clearly bewildered. The Dark Lord, in turn, seemed not angry or suspicious, but merely puzzled.

"Kenobi, perhaps," Vader mused aloud, "He probably was there at your births…"

Leia saw the slight jerk in her brother, the expression of surprise. She tensed in terror. Obi-wan Kenobi was her father's friend from long ago, and a Jedi. If he was indeed on Tatooine than Vader must not find him.

But it was too late. Vader took a step forward, "You know Kenobi, young one?"

Luke looked at his sister, who stared at him with mute appeal, but apparently decided on the truth, "I don't know, sir; there is a man named Ben Kenobi who lives near us, but I don't know him well."

"He hasn't trained you?"

"Trained me? No. As I said, I see him very rarely. He's a strange old hermit who lives out in the Dune Sea. My uncle doesn't get along with him. He probably isn't the man you are thinking of at all."

The Dark Lord turned and walked to the window, looking through the splintered panes at the busy streets of Imperial Center below.

Leia's eyes were wide with horror. This was a nightmare. For Luke to bring down Vader on Kenobi broke her heart, all the more so because it was done so innocently. No one had warned Luke…

The giant turned suddenly and strode back towards the twins.

"Luke, my son."

The voice was urgent.

"Go back to Tatooine immediately. Go to this Ben Kenobi and tell him… tell him that Anakin sent you. Tell him that the time has come for me to make right what I can. Tell him to teach you to shield and whatever else he deems necessary. And give him this code cylinder and tell him that I welcome contact. I pledge that I will not harm him."

Leia could not let this pass, "How dare you, Lord Vader? How dare you entice my brother into leading Kenobi into your trap…"

Luke looked at her, his eyes wide, "Leia, you've heard of Ben Kenobi?"

And Vader spoke as well, "My daugh… Your Highness, I promise you that I mean what I say. My enmity for Kenobi is indeed long standing, but I can and will set it aside to protect you both, and to fulfill what must be done."

Leia shook her head again, in disbelief. But really, now that Vader knew where Kenobi was, he could hunt him down, couldn't he? Was there any chance the Sith Lord was genuine?

"What about Leia," Luke demanded, "What are you going to do with her?"

Now his attention was focused on her intently. She met his stare directly, defiantly, though aware of the quiver of exhaustion in her legs.

Again, Luke was aware of her fading strength and gently pressed her back into a chair.

Vader turned and began pacing.

There was silence for two minutes, silence save for the deep, repetitive sound of the respirator, which echoed against the bare walls of the senatorial suite.

"Your Highness," the Dark Lord said, turning toward her, "I ask you to return to Alderaan. I ask that you focus on the needs of your world and your people, that you focus on personal healing, and separate yourself from galactic affairs for at least a season while I move. Palpatine already has his eye on you; your death was as much desired as your parents, as all of House Organa is known to stand against the Emperor. Keep safe for now, Queen Leia."

"Safe?!"

Leia shook her head incredulously, wishing she could leap to her feet and unleash her sharp tongue on this dark behemoth who had shattered her fragile peace. But she was too tired now, too weary physically.

So she merely shook her head, "There is no safety, Lord Darth Vader, in a galaxy where private communication is tapped by Imperial agents, where Wookies are brutalized and enslaved for their strength, where slaves die in mines from poor ventilation and the brutality of their overseers, where children lose their parents to sabotaged ships…"

Her voice choked in spite of itself, but she gathered herself and continued, "You expect me to be silent when you just confirmed that my family was destroyed by the Empire? You expect me to loll around as a wealthy Queen, living a life of ease, while the people of a thousand worlds suffer?"

She glared, and Vader gazed, and suddenly Leia Organa experienced a violent shift in her vision, as if her eyes suddenly saw through the eyes of Someone Else. She saw a beautiful face and form, a familiar one from strange dreams, with eyes flashing with fire, her hands outstretched in passion.

Vader stepped back, as if likewise shaken.

"How much like your mother…" he murmured.

Then, "No, Queen Leia. I ask no such thing. I know your destiny and your passion is to help and succor the citizens of the galaxy, even as Padme Amidala's was."

But, and here the Voice grew urgent with distress and even pleading, "I implore you, I beg you, to give me some time, 9 months, to fulfill my task. The Emperor's eye must not be on you, my daughter, if I am to do what must be done."

Leia glanced at Luke, who asked the obvious question.

"What are you going to do?"

The Dark Lord tilted his head slightly as if in surprise, "I will destroy Palpatine."

 _Author Note: So I know Vader is acting rather precipitously in changing his alliance from Palpatine to his children. I'm going to say that the timing was critical. He was mourning Padme on the anniversary of her death, found his kids and that was it. He's done with Sidious. The next chapter will be the last one. This little fanfic isn't meant to be as 'epic' as some of my others, but I am trying to focus on emotions and feelings and responses to a shattering discovery. Thank you for your reviews. Thanks too to my wonderful editor, my husband._


	4. Chapter 4

_9 months later_

Queen Leia Organa gazed gravely into the mirror in front of her.

Her dark hair had grown faster than expected, but it was still only 15 cm long and thin.

Her face was fuller, less skeletal. She had put on necessary weight and her skin, while still pale, no longer dismayed her friends and servants with its deathly pallor. Her light blue dress no longer hung in lank folds on her frame.

"Are you all right, your Highness?"

The woman who appeared behind her in the mirror wore a familiar look of irritating concern. Leia was sick and tired of everyone treating her like a breakable doll. But she realized that the anxiety sprang from loyalty, devotion, and even love.

"Yes, Kirana, I'm fine," the Queen said with a sigh, "Has there been any word from my brother?"

"Yes, your Highness," Kirana said with a smile, even as she began combing Leia's hair preparatory to arranging it with a lovely white lace scarf that would conceal the somewhat ragged ends, "He will be arriving in less than 15 minutes and will meet you in the main landing bay. Commander Piett will escort you."

Leia felt her heart lift with excitement at the first piece of news, even as the latter made her mouth turn down in a grimace. Piett was not as bad as most Imperials she had encountered, but he was still… Imperial.

And being here, on Vader's ship the _Devastator_ , surrounded by Imperials, made her uneasy. Not terrified, given the surprising events of the last week, but not comfortable either.

Silently, she stared into the mirror as Kirana deftly finished arranging her hair and then applied make-up on her face and lips to give her more color. Not that Leia particularly felt the need to look her best. Luke wouldn't care, and she suspected the others meeting her on the planet below would be indifferent as well.

But Kirana was also tense and agitated; it was only right to let the woman perform her normal duties.

When her handmaiden was finished, Leia stood up with a smile and quiet thanks, and glided toward the door. It opened as if on cue to reveal a solemn Commander Firmus Piett.

"This way please, your Highness," Piett said, as he turned and marched toward the landing bay. Leia fell into position behind him, even as an honor guard of 8 troopers fell in behind her.

The Queen walked with a regal step, her eyes fixed on the green-gray back of the officer in front of her. Around her, stormtroopers came to attention, and she could _feel_ the intense curiosity and speculation of the officers and underlings toiling away on this behemoth of a ship.

She ignored them all. Yes, the galaxy was lurching in shock from the events of the last few days. Yes, she was the guest of a Sith Lord of dubious stability. But she was a queen, and a daughter of Alderaan, and they could stare all they wanted, they could think what they desired. She was strong, the daughter of Bail and Breha Organa, the sister of Luke Skywalker, the biological daughter of Padme Amidala Naberrie and…

She would be strong.

The door to the landing bay was huge, and Leia felt dwarfed as she passed under it and into the bay where a myriad of ships were landing, departing, and being prepared for flight.

"Leia, oh Leia!"

Her rigid expression and regal bearing were shrugged off like a cloak, and Leia Organa was running and laughing and in the arms of her beloved twin.

"Oh Luke, oh Luke!" she cried as she hugged him fiercely.

He returned the embrace heartily and for a long minute they clung to one another before stepping back to gaze intently into one another's faces.

Leia's first thought was that Luke looked older. He was still the same tanned, blue eyed, blond youth from their first meeting almost a year ago, but his eyes had seen more, and his expression was firmer, less uncertain. And she felt something as well, a prickle in her mind and heart that was probably the movement of the mysterious Force.

Luke, in turn, felt tears of relief wet his eyes as he observed his sister's face, which had filled out, her hair which had grown, her determined eyes which showed not just mental but physical strength. It had torn him apart to be separated from Leia during these last 9 months, but Obi-wan Kenobi and his father had agreed it was the safest plan.

Luke turned to the officer standing at his sister's side. The man said courteously, "Lord Vader gave orders that his shuttle be made available for you. Your pilot is standing by."

Luke frowned a little, "Can't I fly her myself?"

The officer looked startled, then gulped, "Well, sir, I am aware that you have clearance to fly any small ship in the Fleet but perhaps it would be safer for you and the Queen if …"

"Not to worry, Commander Piett," Leia interrupted with a bright smile, "My brother is one of the best pilots in the galaxy, even if he is a trifle reckless at times. We'll take good care of Lord Vader's shuttle, and promise to return it in operational condition. I'm sure he won't mind if there are a few dents on the body."

The man grew pale with horror, and Luke, with a slight jab of his elbow into his sister's side, said reassuringly, "Don't worry, Commander. I promise you she won't get a scratch."

Five minutes later, they were lifting off in an otherwise empty shuttle.

"Well, that was mean," Luke said with a smile at his twin.

Leia grinned impishly, even as she looked a bit embarrassed, "Yeah, it was, wasn't it? Piett – that's the commander you were talking to – isn't as bad as many of them, but the average Imperial officer is a pompous, beauracratic, arrogant irritant. Being around a crowd of Imperial military makes my skin crawl and I'm afraid I let my tongue have its way. I have been suppressing it for too long, being the Queen and all."

Luke chuckled and put one quick hand on his sister's arm, "Well, it's just you and me for a few minutes, Leia. And it's so good to have this time alone."

Leia gazed through the cockpit window at the volcanic planet below her, then at the Star Destroyers orbiting the planet. She counted five, and knew there were others out of visual range. A large fleet surrounded Mustafar.

She said, "We probably won't have much time to talk once we land so, yes, how are you doing, Luke?"

"I'm doing pretty well, Leia. It's been a hard 9 months because you and I were separated. Uncle Owen was stressed, and Ben Kenobi was on edge, which is saying something, since the Jedi Masters were trained to be totally calm, and Ben has been practicing unworldly serenity for 18 years in the desert wastes. Still, dealing with Vader would be stressful for anyone, and for Ben especially."

"Because…?" Leia asked.

"Because 18 years ago, Obi-wan fought him, cut off his three remaining limbs, and left him to burn alive in the lava fields of that planet below us," Luke said steadily, "So naturally Vader hates his guts. Or hated his guts. I don't know what's going on between them exactly. Obviously he's let Ben live for now."

"You are certain?" Leia asked with trepidation.

Luke shot her a surprised look, "Oh yes, Leia. Don't worry. I can sense Ben's presence and he's doing fine. Vader less so."

Leia was startled, "You mean Vader is injured?'

Luke nodded just slightly, before turning back to gaze into toward Mustafar, "Badly. I'm not sure that he'll survive."

"And you know this because…"

"Because," Luke sighed, and again glanced at her, "Because he's my biological father, and I've been training with Obi-wan, and a Force bond has developed between me and Vader, so I can tell. There was a huge fight 4 days ago between Vader and Palpatine, and Vader – Father – was badly injured. I can't tell how badly, but it isn't a minor impairment and his health is precarious anyway. The Emperor, of course, was killed – so Father won, I guess you could say."

Leia circled around to nestle next to Luke's left side, allowing him to pilot with his right hand.

"How are you doing with all this?" she asked tenderly.

He gave her a slight hug while starting the landing cycle. The shuttle was approaching the planet's surface and Leia could see a landing pad in the midst of the orange-red glow of Mustafar's lava fields.

"I'm sad," Luke said, with a slight waver in his voice, "And confused. And angry, I suppose. I have only met him in person that one day in your Senate office as he didn't dare come near me while the Emperor lived. I know he's caused so much suffering, so much pain, so much destruction. Ben told me things about him that make me think the galaxy is better off with him dead. But he's my father, Leia. And yours, I know, but not your real father as Bail was so wonderful. But I never had a father and I want one. I want _him_. But maybe that's being selfish…"

His voice trailed off and Leia felt a slight jerk as if he was swallowing a sob.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked," she apologized.

He shook his head, "No, I appreciate it. I need to talk about it. I had to pry what information I have about Father from Ben, who most definitely has his own conflicted feelings about Anakin Skywalker turned Darth Vader. Uncle Owen still won't discuss the whole situation at all. He didn't know what really happened to Anakin Skywalker, and he's furious with Ben for concealing the truth for 17 years."

"Well, it was insane. It could have gone so wrong," Leia replied.

"Yeah, Ben shuts me down when I try to ask him why in all the star clusters he did such a crazy thing. Father was right, though, he _was_ shielding me. But Ben was down with some minor illness when your people showed up with the urgent news that you were so ill, and I blasted off with them before Ben was aware of it. Not that it would have made any difference if he had known. I would have stowed away on a garbage ship to get to you if necessary."

Leia closed her eyes with gratitude. The loss of her parents was like a poorly healed wound – sometimes agonizing, sometimes merely aching, yet always there. But she had Luke. She had Luke.

When she opened her eyes, she was surprised to see they had landed. Luke stood up and then froze at attention.

"Someone's out there…" he murmured.

"Besides Obi-wan and… and Vader?"

"Yes, another Force sensitive, but a Light Sider."

Leia looked at him with wide eyes. She hadn't realized how much Luke had learned.

"I haven't actually learned all that much," Luke said apologetically (which freaked her out more – was he reading her _mind_?) "So I can't tell anything more."

"Well," Leia braced herself, "I'm guessing we'll find out soon enough."

At the bottom of the ramp there was indeed an individual waiting, a tall Togruta female with white and blue montrals. One of the montrals was wrapped in bacta bandages, and she had a strange pattern of injury across her face, like jagged lightning bolts. She was dressed in a simple gray jumpsuit, obviously designed for ease of movement, and at her belt were not one but two lightsabers.

The twins stopped at the bottom of the ramp and stared gravely into the woman's face. She, in turn, stared back with a look of unsettled fascination.

Leia's mind suddenly was pulled back in time, and she found herself blurting out, "Sokey?"

The solemn look vanished, and the Togruta stepped forward while reaching her hands out to Leia, "My dear Leia, I had no idea you'd remember me! You weren't quite 3 standard years old when I slipped onto Alderaan to teach you shielding. You did indeed call me 'Sokey'."

The memory clicked into place, of herself as a small child sitting beside one of the decorative ponds in the palace garden. She remembered 'Sokey' using colorful fish in the pond to teach shielding, though the details were not clear.

"So you are a Jedi?" her twin asked eagerly.

The Togruta turned to him and shook her head, "No, I was only a padawan and left the Old Jedi Order before the purges. I'm Ahsoka Tano, and I was Anakin Skywalker's padawan."

"Padawan?" Leia demanded in confusion.

"Apprentice, essentially," Luke explained, "A young Force user working under the direction of a master. I had no idea that our father had a padawan, though. But then the things I don't know about him could fill holocubes, Padawan Tano."

Ahsoka sighed and reached out to place one hand on each of the twins, then guided them off the landing platform and into a complex of rooms and passages. Luke and Leia looked around with widened eyes. Parts of the environment were man made (or alien made), whereas other sections of the passages utilized natural rock formations and corridors. Near, but not too near, were bubbling pools of lava; beyond, a river of molten rock glowed in the distance. The temperature was warm, even hot, and soon Leia felt herself sweating. Luke, she noted wryly, was not suffering as much thanks to extensive exposure to Tatooine's extremely hot climate.

After a few minutes of solemn silence, the Togruta spoke again, "Please call me Aksoka, Luke and Queen Leia. You aren't alone in not knowing much about what happened to Anakin. I thought that your father died in the Jedi Purges, and had absolutely no idea that he'd become a psychotic, vicious Sith Lord until a few months ago."

The tone was angry, and Ahsoka clearly wondered if she'd crossed a line as she quickly added, "I'm sorry, I know he's your father."

"He's not my father," Leia said with weary grief, "My father was Bail Organa and the Empire viciously destroyed him, and my mother too."

"He _is_ my father," Luke said sadly, "But don't worry, Ahsoka, he betrayed everything we believe in and there is every reason to be angry."

"Kenobi wouldn't say so. He would say a Jedi must be at peace, must let go of all negative emotions."

"What do you say?" Luke asked curiously, "Do you think that makes sense? I was taught by my Aunt Beru to acknowledge negative emotions, even embrace them, process them, and then move on in a healthy way. Not suppress them, which is what it sounds like Ben is promoting."

Ahsoka stopped abruptly and turned to look at the youth intently. After a long moment, she nodded, even as she started walking again, "You truly are Anakin's son, Luke, quite aside from your looks – and you are the very image of him when he was younger except that you have Padme's height. He too had many questions about the Order and its requirement that members deny themselves strong emotions and close attachments to others. Romance was of course forbidden, but even close friendships were discouraged for fear that the attachment would lead to poor decisions."

"Why would it lead to poor decisions?" Leia asked in a puzzled tone, picking up the pace again.

Ahsoka shook her head, causing her montrals to swing a little, "Supposedly close attachments would lead a Jedi to betray the needs of the many for the needs of the few, or the one. And apparently that _did_ happen, as Anakin betrayed the Jedi in the hopes of saving your mother Padme. But I have to think that if he'd had support from Obi-wan and the Jedi Council, he would have made a different decision. We'll never know, of course."

"There is no excuse for what he did," Leia said coldly.

"I agree, Queen Leia," Ahsoka said gently, "I'm merely pointing out a possible issue with the Old Order. If the Jedi are to rise again, then I believe such issues should be addressed. Of course, I'm just an ex-padawan, so what do I know?"

"A lot, it sounds like," Luke said with a small smile. He could tell that this woman was parsecs ahead of him in training. He felt inadequate, not for the first time in his life…

Then he felt a sudden iciness, as if the temperature had dropped 50 degrees. He shivered even as he stopped in his tracks and looked around, bewildered. The area they were in seemed much like the others, with a slight drop from the path onto rock, and the molten lava farther on. Leia looked at him in surprise, Ahsoka with sadness in her eyes.

"You feel it, then?" she asked him gently.

"Yes, what is it?" Luke asked, unsettled. It was cold, and dark, and sad, and angry, and _lost_.

"I don't know, but I too have sensed great Darkness in this very spot. I asked Obi-wan and he threw up his shields so fast I felt like I was crashing into a stone wall. Something terrible happened to Anakin here, and Obi-wan as well."

Leia grabbed Luke's arm, "Let's get out of here, then. Is it much farther?"

"A few minutes walk," Tano said, clearly in agreement with the decision to move, as she started walking at a faster pace.

It was five minutes later that Luke that Ben and his father's Force signals suddenly flared into near proximity. Ahead of them was a plated door, firmly closed and locked.

Ahsoka pulled out a code cylinder and inserted it into the lock, causing the door to slide open.

"Before we go in," she said to Luke and Leia, "I should warn you, indeed I should have warned you earlier that Vader, Anakin, doesn't look well. I mean, he looks really bad. I mean, awful and terrible. I'm not sure…"

"Whether he'll survive. I know," Luke responded steadily, and pushed his way past her.

Inside was a large room, dominated by a strange cylindrical tank, taller than Luke, filled with a liquid which seemed to slosh more slowly than normal water. Inside the tank…

Luke froze and felt nausea rise in his throat. Beside him, he heard a gasp from Leia; she too was obviously dismayed at the man who hung silently in the tank in front of them, a tube providing breathing support through his mouth and nose, with supporting restraints keeping him in place.

Vader was completely bald, ravaged by scars, with all four limbs partially missing. He was frighteningly still except for the slight movement of his injured torso, which rose and fell slowly accompanied by breathing sounds.

Horrified though he was, Luke felt compelled to move closer. Nearer to the tank, he could make out other injuries, including a blaster wound on his father's left shoulder, and strange jagged marks, fresh ones, like those on Ahsoka Tano, but covering what remained of his body.

Belatedly, he noticed the old Jedi Ben Kenobi standing to his right, his hands touching the outside of the tank, his eyes closed in concentration. And through the Force, Luke could sense power emanating from the old man and entering into the battered body of his former apprentice and friend.

"What happened to him?" Leia whispered softly.

Ben opened his eyes and tilted his chin at Ahsoka, "Can you take over, Ahsoka? I'm growing weary."

The twins watched, wide-eyed, as Ahsoka immediately strode over to the tank, put her hands on it, and closed her eyes. After a few seconds, with the Force swirling powerfully, Kenobi withdrew and walked wearily over to a functional chair near the wall, more falling than sitting in it.

"I'm getting too old for this sort of thing," he muttered.

"Ben, what happened?" Luke demanded.

The old Jedi ran his left hand over his face and muttered, "Vader happened. Or Anakin did. Blessed if I know, Luke. The whole thing was beyond belief. I never thought in all my days that the Emperor would get wiped out this way. I truly did not expect it."

Luke and Leia exchanged glances.

"General Kenobi," Leia said courteously but firmly, "That essentially tells us nothing at all. Could you please start at the beginning and go to the end."

Obi-wan looked up in surprise, then smiled, "My dear Leia, I haven't seen you since you were a newborn, but I'd know you anywhere. The very image of Padme. Well, it's a long story but I'll try to keep it as brief as possible. As you know, Luke, I journeyed to Carida about a week ago to meet up with Ahsoka, hoping that I could sound her out on what was happening with Ana — with Vader. Your father and I had been in contact, and he assured me he truly wanted to kill Darth Sidious, but I had my doubts.

"Vader tracked my ship out of Tatooine and showed up at the so-called safe house where Ahsoka and I had met and arrested us. He was all fury and rage and dark power and I thought it was the end. He proceeded to drag us into the Emperor's Throne Room on Imperial City in chains, released our chains with the Force, threw our lightsabers to us, and attacked Sidious directly. We had our hands full killing off the Royal Guards, who were quite skilled, and by the time we had dispatched them Anakin had taken a blaster shot and was being bombarded with Palpatine's legitimately infamous Force lightening. Ahsoka rushed to Anakin's rescue and got blasted for her pains, but that was enough distraction that Vader was able to push past Palpatine's defenses and cut him in half. That was the greatest moment I've had in the last 20 years."

Luke's jaw dropped, "So he arrested you and then released you?"

"Of course," Obi-wan said with a chuckle, "It was brilliant, really, though I didn't think so at the time, not knowing his plan. Your father does hate me, Luke, for injuring him so badly, for putting him in that life support suit. He focused on that hatred and rage to deceive Palpatine into allowing him to bring both of us into the Throne Room – I'm guessing he told his Dark Master that he wished him to observe our deaths."

He grew more serious now, "I felt the shift in the Force the moment before he released us from our bonds. Love, love for you two, and for Padme. Hatred toward Sidious for deceiving him for so long. Palpatine told your father that he had killed your mother, you know, here on Mustafar. The guilt and self-hatred tormented Vader, ate into him, for 17 years until he found you twins on Imperial Center 9 months ago. He knew then the truth, that Padme had not died at his hand but instead had lived long enough to give birth to you two, though tragically she died in childbirth as he had foreseen in prescient dreams. He decided on the day he met you that he would kill the Emperor, and he fulfilled that promise."

Luke glanced at Leia, and she sensed his shy delight.

She in turn merely felt incredulous. Vader had been the Emperor's Kell dragon since, well, she was born. Her father Bail had quietly told her just a handful of stories of the terrors he had wrought on the innocents of the galaxy, of his Dark Powers, of his rages.

And she knew these tales were merely the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

It was hard to believe that Darth Vader, the Emperor's most faithful servant would destroy his master for her, Queen Leia of Alderaan, a known collaborator with the growing resistance against the Empire. For Luke Skywalker, an uneducated farmboy from Tatooine.

She glanced at her brother, and watched him as Luke slowly walked back to the tank, where he lifted his hands and placed them as Ahsoka was doing. She saw him close his eyes.

Leia Organa turned back to Kenobi, "Do you really believe any of this, General?"

She sounded rather piteous, she realized, and firmed her tone, "Do you really believe that Vader has somehow turned back from the Darkness? It seems impossible given who he is, what he has done."

Kenobi gazed at her with a mixture of sympathy and curiosity for a long moment. Finally he held out his hand to her, and she took it.

"Leia, Anakin Skywalker was always more devoted to people than to ideals. He was committed to his mother, who died, his wife, who died, and then Sidious, who manipulated and lied to him. The Darkness is still with Anakin, but so is Light, for he genuinely loves you both. This I know."

She shook her head. She had much training in politics and diplomacy, but this was beyond her.

"I… I don't know what to do, General Kenobi. What should we do?"

Kenobi smiled just a little.

"Queen Leia, my best advice to you and brother is simply that you survive. That's what your father needs from you right now."

She smiled a little, tremulously. That hadn't proven particularly easy in the past, but yes, she could try to survive.

Luke found himself submerged in a rather amateur… trance? Meditative state? Something.

(He needed more training. He needed it!)

He could clearly sense the Person who was his unconscious father, but it was a fuzzy, peculiar, strange interaction. There were flashes of love, flashes of hatred, bleeding through to impact on Luke's partially trained senses. Who was this man who was his father? What was he like now? Was he Darth Vader? Or Anakin Skywalker? Both? Neither? Still a Sith Lord? Or a Jedi returning to the Light?

He had so many questions and no answers.

He focused on the drifting form in front of him, focused his concern, his curiosity, yes, his love for the man who had sired him, the man who had risked his life to make the galaxy a safer place for Luke and Leia.

Luke felt a sudden twist in his spirit, and his eyes flew open involuntarily.

There, only centimeters away, was his father, now with his eyes opened – eyes blue like the ocean, eyes like Luke's.

And a soft voice spoke in his mind:

" _I did it for you, my son, and for your sister. Because I love you."_

Luke smiled, even as tears threatened to spill out of his eyes and down his cheeks.

Yes, he had a thousand questions, but maybe that was the only answer he needed right now.

The End

 _Author Note: Just so you aren't worried about it – Vader doesn't DIE from his injuries. Bacta plus love plus Force power brings him back from the brink._


End file.
